7/12/2010: This summer has been a busy, but good, one so far. The weather has been pretty decent for the most part with only occasional rain here and there. The dogs are all doing well and enjoying working hard every day. The latest news from the kennel is that this January Ryan and team will be racing in the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race held in Wyoming. We are very excited about going and trying something new and different this season.
4/9/2010: Spring is on the way. The weather has been up and down, sometimes snow and sometimes warm and sunny. We are getting ready to head back down to Southeast Alaska for the summer. This year we will be in Skagway instead of Juneau but still running land tours with the dogs. It will be fun to get down and start meeting new people. The pups having been running a bit more and they are all doing well. Some of them are now the size of the adult dogs but they sure are a lot bouncier! They should be very entertaining this summer.
The latest additions to the kennel.
3/18/2010: All dogs and mushers have returned from the trail. We are still waiting on sleds and gear but it should get back in the next week or so. All the dogs are looking happy and healthy. The other day we hooked up a team of 16 dogs, 2 leaders and 14 pups that are about 10 months old! We have been working with them off and on all winter to get them to know what to do and it was fun to see them all working hard. We still have plenty of snow on the ground so we should be able to keep going on some more pup runs.
2/19/2010: The craziness of food drop is done for another Iditarod. On Tuesday we brought in all the supplies for the trip to Nome, a grand total of 2121 pounds! The dogs and musher should eat well on the trail. Our unseasonably warm weather continues. For the past 5 days the temperature here at the kennel has hit at least 40^. Hopefully this weather will change sometime soon and the rain predicted for Sunday will stay away. We now will most likely have to start trucking the dogs to train as the trails here are starting to deteriorate. The dogs are all looking good and hopefully this is a good sign heading up to the big race!
2/14/2010: Ryan and team are the 2010 Klondike 300 champions!!! He and the dogs came across the line at 8:17 this morning, an hour and 13 minutes ahead of his brother, Ray, who finished in 2nd place. The dogs looked great coming across the line. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
2/11/2010: This weekend is the Klondike 300. Ryan and team will be in this year's race. He will use the event to try and see which dogs are going to be most likely to make his Iditarod team in less than a month! The weather here right now is unseasonably warm, highs around 33^, so it will be interesting to see how much impact this will have on the run times during the race. I will try to update during the race but you can also go to www.klondike300.org for the latest updates.
2/1/2010: The Tustumena 200 went all right. Ryan and team came in for a 10th place finish. This past weekend we had a local race, the Aurora Dog Mushers 50/50, which was 50 miles on Saturday and 50 miles on Sunday. Ryan, Emil, and Jane all raced with Ryan placing second and our other two teams having a total time within 20 minutes of Ryan's. We are still training around 40 dogs for the two Iditarod teams and with the longer miles needed now it is definitely keeping all of us busy. Food drop is here in about 2 weeks and we have lots to prepare for that. It is hard to believe that the Iditarod is only a month away!
Race this weekend, the Tustumena 200. Ryan and team are excited to go down and see what they can do. To follow the race go to: http://www.tustumena200.com/.
1/12/2010: This past weekend at the Copper Basin 300 was an interesting one. Thanks a bunch to Ryan, Barb, and Jane for doing a great job of handling for the two teams we had in the race. I ended up getting bib #38 for the race and taking off right behind Ryan's brother Ray who was bib #37. It was a bummer taking off in the back of the pack because by the time we hit the trail after 37 other teams had already gone over it, most of the first 50 miles of trail was bottomless soft snow. Despite the bad trail the dogs and I made good time into the Wolverine checkpoint (about 50 miles into the race). After slogging in the snow, we stopped for a couple hour rest at the checkpoint before heading onto the next one. Taking off from Wolverine the dogs looked awesome and jumped right up off the straw to head down the trail. We got lost for a bit heading off the lake, followed the wrong set of markers, but once we found the right trail everything went smoothly on the way to Sourdough (another 50 miles). It was a beautiful but cold night on the trail, the temperature got down to around -30^. Getting into Sourdough, I again decided to take about a 3 hour break with the dogs. It was very exciting watching the dogs the whole time, they ran well keeping their speed up and when reaching checkpoints they ate well and got to resting quickly. It was still very cold when leaving this checkpoint to head to Meier's Lake but the dogs were barking and ready to go when I pulled the hook. The run over to Meier's Lake (43 miles) was one of the toughest runs I have ever made. About an hour outside of Sourdough, I started not feeling well and couldn't keep any food down. I debated turning back to the checkpoint but by the time I decided that would probably be best I looked at my watch and figured that we were already over halfway to the next checkpoint. The second half of trail into Meier's Lake was a challenge, the trail was made up of rolling hills that by the time you crested one hill and went down the back side, you were already set to go up another hill. Going down one of the hills there was a tree overhanging the trail and the sled just barely made it under! The dogs continued to preform incredibly well and pulled up all the hills. They came into Meier's Lake looking amazing but the musher wasn't doing so well. I took my 8 hour layover at Meier's Lake and made my decision to pull out of the race after having rested. I continued to not feel well and couldn't continue down the trail and put the safety of my dogs and myself on the line. The dogs looked wonderful and would definitely have made a strong finish but I feel that I made the best decision. Congratulations to Emil and our second team for completing the Copper Basin 300!
The next race on the schedule is going to be the Tustumena 200 on January 23rd and 24th. Ryan and the team will be in that one. It will be exciting to see how they do.
1/4/2010: This past weekend was the Knik 200 and Erin and the team raced for a second place finish! Erin's story:
The 2010 Knik 200 was a ton of fun and a super great experience. It was my first big race so going into it I was a little bit nervous but everything ended up going super smoothly. Getting ready to take off from the lake was very easy thanks to all the friends that came to help (thanks to everyone who showed up to help and cheer us on!). The dogs on the team were: Lacey, Stormy, Wind, Hurley, Jiggs, Inca, Bark, Yip, Ginger Ale, Ruff, Tito and Moseley, the last 7 of which Ryan and I bred up and raised from puppies! It was really wonderful to be able to see the dogs we have raised turn into such elite athletes. The team and I were bib number 3 leaving the lake and we caught, and passed, both the teams ahead of us within 3 miles. After that, we didn't see another dog team until Skwentna! The race trail follows the Iditarod trail (from Knik lake, out past the Nome sign, on to Flat Horn and then up the river to Skwentna) which runs right by our house and is where we train everyday, so I was very familiar with the first 30 miles of trail but had never been out past Flat Horn Lake. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be out on the trail, the skies were clear and the temperatures were just below zero. It was fun traveling up the river, where for the most part, the dogs maintained a smooth and easy trot but every once in awhile they would get excited by the run and break into a lope. The run went so well that, other than stopping once on the river to snack, I never set the the hook until stopping to check in at the half way point. No wildlife out on the trail just a handful of snowmachines that all gave good distance around us when passing. The checkpoint at Skwentna Road House was very nice. The checkpoint was laid out very nicely and it was easy to find the drop bags, straw, and water. We were the first team into Skwentna and the dogs had come in with a lot of power but they knew it was their chance to rest and after I was done caring for them they all curled up and took a nap. The hospitality at the Road House was wonderful, Bonnie and her family did a great job of making everybody feel welcome, and the food was excellent. At the checkpoint we had a 6 hour and 32 minute rest before taking off again in 3 place (after adjusting time for the start differential there were two teams who had faster times than we did). When I got the dogs ready to take off again they were very excited to be under way. Bark, a young dog in his first big race, still looked a little tired after the layover so I left him at Skwentna for a plane ride home and took off with 11 dogs on the line. We took off fast and passed Judy Currier shortly after leaving to put us into 2nd place. It was a beautiful night to be out and running. We let the checkpoint at 11:45 PM and so the whole run was in the dark but with the full moon you almost didn't need a headlamp. The run back went as uneventfully as the run up and it was great to watch the team move like a unit. We were moving well and hoping to make up some time on 1st place Micah but we never saw him. The only team we saw on the trail was about 10 miles out from the finish line, Ken Anderson caught and passed us but then afterwhile he had to stop for something so we ended up passing him back. The only worry I had coming back was getting by our trail home, which is only 1/2 mile from the finish, but the dogs listened when I told them to go by the trail and ran right on into a 2nd place finish. When we crossed the line the dogs looked great and seemed like they could have gone further. This was my first Iditarod qualifer and next weekend the team and I will compete in the Copper Basin 300 for our second qualifier. I hope that everything up there goes as smoothly as it did at the Knik 200.
12/29/2009: Happy Holidays! Everything is going well here at the kennel, just quite busy lately. The Alaska Excursions 120, back on the 19th and 20th, went very well. Thanks to all of the volunteers and Aurora Dog Mushers for helping to put on such a fun event. Ryan ended up with a fifth place finish and Jane, in her first race finished in 24th place. We are currently training around 40 dogs for our two Iditarod teams and they are all looking nice. The weather has been a bit on the warm side lately, low 30s, so hopefully it will cool off and winter weather will return soon. The next race on the schedule is the Knik 200 which is supposed to happen this weekend.
12/17/2009: We finally have the snow we have all been waiting for. In the past few days we have received around a foot of snow. The trails are starting to set up nice and it is great to be off of the four-wheelers. This weekend will be our first race of the season, the Alaska Excursions 120. We will have two teams in the race Ryan and Jane. We are looking forward to a fun weekend!
Ryan and team checking the sets for beaver.
Mesa sporting the latest in hat fashion!
Mitts I made from some fox that Ryan trapped last year.
12/8/2009: The last week and a half or so I have spent visiting family in the lower 48, while I was gone Ryan and Jane held down the fort. The dogs are looking great and running 42 - 60 miles on a run, still on ATVs. We were all looking forward to the Sheep Mountain 150 but due to lack of snow the race has been cancelled. The next race on the docket is the Alaska Excursions 120 on Dec. 19th and 20th, but if we don't get any more snow in the next few days that race will most likely be postponed or cancelled as well. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for more snow!
Our Christmas Tree!
11/25/2009: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are still keeping our fingers crossed for more snow around here. The dogs are looking great and we are looking forward to our first race of the season, the Sheep Mountain 150 on December 12th and 13th.
11/14/2009: This morning was our first of below zero weather. We we woke up this morning the thermometer read 2 below zero! Winter has definitely arrived. Training is still moving along nicely. Right now the teams are doing between 30 to 40 miles for their runs. Now all we need is a bit more snow so that we can get out on sleds instead of the four-wheelers.
Heading down the trail
11/9/2009: SNOW!!!! When we woke up this morning we had about 3 inches of snow on the ground. It is exactly what we needed as the ground was getting very dry and too dusty to train. The dogs had a great run today and seemed to be as happy as we were about getting a little bit of snow.
Happy dogs
11/5/2009: It is starting to look like winter around here. The swamps and lakes are getting ice on them and the temperatures are getting cooler. The dogs are all still looking good. We have been going between 15 to 20 miles with the teams and hoping to get some snow to soften up the trails a bit. We will just have to keep our fingers crossed for snow to come soon!
10/21/2009: The teams are all looking very nice right now. When stopping to try to get pictures of the group, Jane and I both hopped off the ATV and the team ended up dragging the four-wheeler with brakes locked down the trail! Right now we are doing 12 and 18 mile runs with the dogs and they all come in looking happy and energetic.
10/8/2009: Training is moving right along. At the moment the dogs are going out on 15 mile runs and everyone is coming in with tails wagging and lots of power. We currently are training about 38 dogs that are trying out for a spot on one of our two Iditarod teams. Hopefully everyone will continue to look as wonderful as they do right now throughout the season.
9/27/2009: After one long day on the road, we have made it back home from Juneau. It has been dry and sunny here the last two days and the dogs seem to really be enjoying the change in weather. Training is going to be kicking into high gear and it will be exciting to see how the dogs are going to do!
9/5/2009: Wow, time really flies! We have been having a good time down here in Juneau and staying very, very busy. It is hard to believe that we are already are into September. The last day of our season here is the 24th and then we are headed home to start our fall training. One bit of news that we are super excited about is that our friend Jane has signed on to be our handler for this winter! We are all looking forward to the start of training.
Inca's pups. Getting big!
Athena
Tito
Spruce and Mercury
Stovepipe
7/11/2009: Things are moving right along and today we are halfway through our summer season here in Juneau. The weather has been the best it has ever been here, we have had more days of sun than we have of rain! Dogs are doing great and the puppies are growing like weeds.
Inca and her 8 pups
6/27/2009: It is official, Ryan has signed up for the 2010 Iditarod! He is number 4 on the list, which at this point means he will be the 4th musher to draw his bib number at the pre-race banquet. Also, this Iditarod our kennel will have 2 teams of dogs running in the race. Emil Churchin will be joining the team this season and running a group of our dogs to Nome. We are very excited about all of the training and racing in store for this up coming season!
